We have almost completed selling house but neighbour has just applied for planning permission

kinger101

You are obliged to update buyers if information you've provided via the TA6 etc changes.

getmore4less

Gavbo2013 said:

getmore4less said:

We have sold our house and are literally days away from getting a completion date.

Have you exchanged?

Not actually exchanged yet. Next week according to solicitor, then completion date can be given. 

expect this to stall, fail, price reduction or maybe get sued if you don't tell them.

PS We don't have any problems with our neighbours at all and get on really well!

They just stitched you up big time if you found out  by a planning letter 

How are you going to feel if your sale collapses and you are stuck with a building site for a year?

Gavbo2013

The neighbour did mention their plans to me a while ago, but said it wasn't definite. Then said that that if they are doing it wouldn't be until 2021 at earliest. So it's not a total surprise to see a planning application, even though I did say I didn't want it joining if they ever did do it. They've probably just chanced putting plans in hoping we wouldn't object as we're selling.

We did put on the property information that the neighbours did mention about loft conversion but nothing was definite, which was honest and accurate at the time.

Annoying as we're so close to completion. I think we're just going to tell the solicitors and not object as it's nothing out of the ordinary and may cause more problems if I object. Hopefully the buyers won't mind. It wouldn't particularly put me off tbh, but everyone thinks differently.

It may get knocked back by planning without intervention anyway, but I don't want any come back from it further down the line if I've not declared it.

Of course if we don't object though and the sale falls through, then we'd have to live with it I suppose, which is the risk.

getmore4less

Did you tell them you were planning to sell when they told you they were thinking of doing work?

Gavbo2013

It was just mentioned in passing last year.

Then they said they were putting off until next year (2021)

Our house want on the market in March this year. Then we just received the planning letter yesterday, out of the blue. Not that they're obliged to consult us on everything but it would have been nice for them to show us proper plans etc of what they we're planning on doing. Could have discussed and aired our views then. 

GDB2222

Gavbo2013 said:

The neighbour did mention their plans to me a while ago, but said it wasn't definite. Then said that that if they are doing it wouldn't be until 2021 at earliest. So it's not a total surprise to see a planning application, even though I did say I didn't want it joining if they ever did do it. They've probably just chanced putting plans in hoping we wouldn't object as we're selling.

We did put on the property information that the neighbours did mention about loft conversion but nothing was definite, which was honest and accurate at the time.

Annoying as we're so close to completion. I think we're just going to tell the solicitors and not object as it's nothing out of the ordinary and may cause more problems if I object. Hopefully the buyers won't mind. It wouldn't particularly put me off tbh, but everyone thinks differently.

It may get knocked back by planning without intervention anyway, but I don't want any come back from it further down the line if I've not declared it.

Of course if we don't object though and the sale falls through, then we'd have to live with it I suppose, which is the risk.

To do work in 2021, I’d be putting the planning application in now. That leaves time to appoint a builder who has a lot of work in the pipeline, ie a good builder.

Thrugelmir

Gavbo2013 said:

Our house want on the market in March this year. Then we just received the planning letter yesterday, out of the blue. Not that they're obliged to consult us on everything but it would have been nice for them to show us proper plans etc of what they we're planning on doing. Could have discussed and aired our views then. 

As your selling the property. Does it actually matter?  After all is only just at the planning stage. 

Gavbo2013

Thrugelmir said:

Gavbo2013 said:

Our house want on the market in March this year. Then we just received the planning letter yesterday, out of the blue. Not that they're obliged to consult us on everything but it would have been nice for them to show us proper plans etc of what they we're planning on doing. Could have discussed and aired our views then. 

As your selling the property. Does it actually matter?  After all is only just at the planning stage. 

Yeah I know what you mean, I was just being pessimistic really and gauging what others opinions would be.

I've no malice towards them putting in the application as it's their choice at the end of the day. It's just really awkward timing for us and what could potentially come of it at this stage.

After reading different opinions I think the best way would just be to not object, tell the solicitor about the application and hope that it doesn't affect things too much. Our buyers are really keen tbh so I don't think that this would put them off as there's a small chain involved too and I think everyone is hoping to wrap things up as soon as so we can take advantage of the stamp duty holiday

MoneySeeker1

getmore4less said:

Gavbo2013 said:

getmore4less said:

We have sold our house and are literally days away from getting a completion date.

Have you exchanged?

Not actually exchanged yet. Next week according to solicitor, then completion date can be given. 

expect this to stall, fail, price reduction or maybe get sued if you don't tell them.

PS We don't have any problems with our neighbours at all and get on really well!

They just stitched you up big time if you found out  by a planning letter 

How are you going to feel if your sale collapses and you are stuck with a building site for a year?

This!

You obviously didn't get on with as well as you thought with your neighbours - as they went ahead with this without telling you and you only found out through "official" channels.

Disillusioning to find one has been wrong about people - and they've turned out to be worse/less open than thought - but it's clear they have indeed kept you in the dark deliberately.

I think it sounds like you've got no option now but to make the best of a bad situation and:
- tell your buyers (before Exchange) and apologise for the fact that you thought you got on well with the neighbours, but were wrong, and they've gone ahead and done this without telling you. But you are being a nice/honest person and telling them before Exchange. The ball is then in their court - and, hopefully, they will proceed as planned and those secretive neighbours haven't cost you a sale or, at least, a price reduction for doing this.

- do emphasise to your buyers that there is indeed a good chance it won't be approved anyway and your house will stay exactly as "what they bought". You never know - your buyers might have some good ideas themselves to make sure of that fact.

getmore4less

I would not be telling the prospective buyers you thought the neighbours were nice  and have changed your mind.